A Heart Full of Crosses - Karen Huffaker

This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us. He sent his Son to die in our place to take away our sins. 1 John 4:10 NCV

How precious it was when a little boy named Luke walked up and gave me a Valentine he had made—one with a heart full of crosses.

I don’t usually get Valentine’s cards from my grandchildren these days—the sweet cards and crafts they made in kindergarten. They are all growing up so quickly.

But Luke gave me one. He and some of the children at church made cards and gave them to folks in my Sunday school class. My heart-shaped card was cut from clear plastic and had dozens of red, blue, and yellow painted crosses. The card was bordered in red and had a string of yarn tied at the top so I could hang it.

The heart design conveyed love, but all the other crosses painted within the heart showed the love of Jesus. And the red border reminded me of the blood Jesus shed as He hung on the cross.

I don’t have to wonder whether I’m good enough or if God loves me. His Word reminds us that He loves all people, as shown by His sacrificial love.

This special card still hangs from the light over my kitchen table, even though Valentine’s Day has long passed. I smile every time I look at it because it reminds me of God’s love, the cross of Christ, and a surprise gift from a little boy.

In what ways have you experienced God’s love?

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Karen Huffaker is a freelance Christian writer. She has taught children’s Sunday school and single mom’s Bible studies and written poetry. She is from the Deep South and loves reading Christian books, devotionals, genealogy adventures, fishing, and all things family. She is also passionate about her grandchildren’s sporting events. 

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Living with Integrity - Martin Wiles

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Psalm 119:1 NLT

Living with integrity is often difficult.

Irregular heartbeats were coming with regularity for my wife. Her cardiologist prescribed a heart halter for twenty-four hours, a direction that required a trip to the emergency room to have it attached.

As we waited in the ER, she noticed a twenty-dollar bill in a nearby chair. Knowing someone obviously dropped it, she asked a few neighboring people. None claimed it. Instead of claiming it herself, she took it to the receptionist, who took her number and told her they would call her if no one claimed it. The call never came. (I have a sneaky feeling I know why.) We needed the twenty. Our gas tank was nearing empty, but my wife chose to do the right thing even though she didn’t have to.  

Always doing the right thing, whether or not someone is looking, isn’t the simplest task. It’s often more challenging to do the right thing when no one is looking. No one would have noticed if my wife had taken the twenty. Yet, choosing to do the right thing, regardless of the circumstances, defines integrity.

I’ve had occasions when doing the right thing was tough. Such as when I was nineteen and making my truck payment at the local bank. I knew how much my check was and how much change I should receive. When I got home and counted, I discovered twenty dollars more than I should have had. I struggled with whether to return it—until I remembered who I was. I represented Jesus Christ. He would want honesty. So, I returned the money to the teller, who thanked me. She would have checked up twenty dollars short.

Temporary sadness or disappointment might occur when we show integrity, but the overall result of a life of doing the right thing will be joy and fulfillment. So choose to live every day with integrity. You’ll never regret your decision.

Prayer: Father, enable us to live with integrity so we can give examples of right living to others. 

Tweetable: Are you living with integrity? 

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Walk-on Wednesday - Hardened - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Walk-on Wednesday. By Hump Day, we are struggling, but we believe a good devotion can strengthen us to finish the week strong. 

You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.  Hebrews 3:13 NLT

Toasted bread is sumptuous, but hard bread isn’t.

When selecting a loaf of bread, I choose the loaf that is softest to the touch. Soft bread means fresh bread. I’ve also learned putting the twist tie back after retrieving slices ensures the freshness lasts longer. My wife and I often encase our loaf of bread in a Tupperware container or place it in the refrigerator. Yet, if the loaf of bread remains uneaten long enough, it will harden, get stale, and perhaps even mold. Hardening of bread is inevitable.

Moses faithfully led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, but many in the loaf weren’t as sensitive to God as he was. No sooner had they left Egypt than they complained—not enough water, food, shoes, or clothes. And when Moses stayed on the mountain too long retrieving the Ten Commandments, they had his brother construct a golden calf for them to worship. In spite of all they witnessed God do, they readily hardened their hearts.

Hardening can happen in believers’ lives. I know; it did with me. As a rebellious teenager, I was hardened to God’s voice. I heard him, but his voice was faint because of my sinful practices.

Hardening isn’t instantaneous but takes place slowly and sometimes over a long period of time. I didn’t suddenly become a teenager with a hardened heart. My temporary walk away from God came on slowly and almost unnoticeably. It began with rebellious thoughts in my pre-teen years and blossomed into full-blown rebellion several years later.

I’ve discovered the best way to avoid hardening is to stay close to God, meditate on his Word, pray, hang around with other believers, and keep my priorities in order. These practices make it easier for me to reject rebellious thoughts.

Since I’m not perfect, I’ll fall occasionally, but it doesn’t have to be purposefully or regularly. When I do, I’m quick to confess so the wrong attitude doesn’t linger and cause more destruction.

What action can you take to prevent the hardening of your heart?

Prayer: Lead us, Holy Father, into a closer journey with You so we might avoid paths leading to hardened hearts.  

Tweetable: Is your heart hard or soft?  

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God of the Deep - Martin Wiles

For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God. Psalm 7:9 NLT

A surgeon’s eyes look where others’ eyes don’t.

While in his sixties, Dad was diagnosed with a defective heart valve. He could have a mechanical valve or a pig’s valve implanted. He chose the mechanical. Shortly after the surgery, the valve malfunctioned. We took him to Atlanta for a second surgery.

In both instances, surgeons were able to see what I never have—and don’t want to: the inside of a chest. Scalpels cut apart Dad’s chest and rib spreaders separated his ribs, allowing the doctors to see my father’s heart and all other organs that God hid behind the rib cage. They could watch the heart beating, see the valves working, observe the blood pumping and flowing.

Had I been there, I wouldn’t have watched long before passing out. But the doctors and nurses take a regular view of people’s insides. They see what most people never witness.

God has the ability to do the same. He made us, knows every intricate part of our anatomy, and understands how all the parts work and fit together. He knows which bone is connected to which bone—and didn’t have to attend medical school to learn. But His look goes deeper than the physical.

God looks into my mind and heart. Not merely at all the electrical forces taking place in the brain and not just at all the pumping of blood that occurs in the heart. He sees with eyes I can’t. God sees the motives behind my actions. When I do a good deed, He knows if I’ve done it with honorable reasons. He knows if my heart is sensitive to others’ needs and if it’s tender toward Him. He sees the hurts and the damage done by others.

Pretending is a waste of time. God gets to the heart of the matter. I may fool others, but God knows what’s really pumping inside of me. My heart and mind are open books before Him.

The good news is that what’s broken is fixable—just as my dad’s heart valve. Improper motives, unhealthy emotions, hardened hearts, hidden agendas, unforgiveness, hurts. None of these pose a problem for God. All I have to do is allow Him to work on me.

God sees what you can’t in your heart and mind. Go to the God of the deep for the healing you need.

Tweetable: What does God see in your heart?

Prayer: Father, look deeply into our hearts and minds. We ask You to heal our hurts and sharpen our minds. 

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Flashback Friday - Heart Rebellion - Martin Wiles

Heart Rebellion

I awoke with my heart racing at an abnormal speed. Had I been startled from a bad dream, I would have expected this. But I hadn’t.

After a few moments of waiting, I woke my wife and told her what was happening. A call to 911 ensued, followed by a trip to the hospital, and later a visit to a cardiologist who diagnosed me with tachycardia. Nothing really to worry about, but he did share some tactics I could use to regulate my heart pace if this happened again. He also prescribed medicine to slow my heart rate.

With tachycardia, the heart rebels and must be brought under control lest a more serious matter occur—namely a heart attack. Read more...

Tweetable: Keep your heart from rebelling. 

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Entertaining Angels - Martin Wiles

Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Hebrews 13:2 NLT

When death may be just around the corner, even encouragement from a stranger is appreciated. 

Sam’s heart was barely functioning, and many of his vital organs were being affected. He’d been on the transplant list for quite some time, but so far no luck. The doctors were now telling him an artificial heart was his only hope. If the heart doctor didn’t agree to perform the surgery, a bag giving him a steady supply of morphine to keep him comfortable was the only option. 

Ten minutes before the pharmacy closed, Sam suddenly realized one of his heart medications had run out. He made a quick call, and the pharmacist assured him he would stay there after hours to fill it. As Sam walked toward the pharmacist, a bearded gentleman entered from the side and said, “Hey, I need to talk to you. I need to tell you everything is going to be okay.” 

After a quick U-turn, the man exited the drug store. The pharmacist, curious as well, immediately left his station to find this peculiar stranger. But no one was around, and no cars, except Sam’s, were in the parking lot. Sam was sure he’d just seen an angel. 
I doubt angels look as I’ve often imagined—with white robes and wings. And while they don’t share all of God’s supernatural traits, they do possess powers that surpass mine. 

God has angels who guard His people as they did Lot and his family when God was about to rain down fire and brimstone on their place of residence. They operate under God’s direction to carry out His plan for me. 

God can also use angels to inform me of His plan as He did when Mary was told she would give birth to the Messiah. I doubt they will come dressed in white so I will entertain them without knowing it—meaning they will look like a regular person…perhaps a bearded gentleman.

Testing my faith is another reason God uses angels. 

He puts them in my path and dresses them as people I might ordinarily avoid just to see if I’ll overlook my prejudices or trust Him enough to act in their best behalf. 

Be on the lookout. You never know when God will ask you to entertain angels.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the protective force of angels that You place around us each day.

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